Russian Republic
White Russia (Russian: Белая Русь), officially the Russian Republic (Russian: Российская Республика) is a state located in northeast Asia. Currently headed by Grigory Semyonov, head of the exiled government and a member of the Russian Alliance. White Russia is bordered to the north and west by the Soviet Union; to the south by Mongolia, the Fengtian Government and Japanese Korea; and to the east by the Sea of Japan. The Russian Republic is a state that became a stronghold of the White movement in the territory of the former Russian Empire. The head of the Republic is the chief ataman of the TRANS-Baikal Cossacks Grigory Semenov, who proclaimed his dictatorship because of what he lost almost all his authority. The Republic is located in the economic and political dependence on the Empire of Japan. And against the background of these events, the opposition in the country is very strong and there is a chance of a military coup against the government of Semenov. History The land of the Russians was at one point the world’s third largest empire, spanning three continents. Although a military powerhouse, the largely rural and non-industrialized Russian Empire lagged heavily behind its European neighbors. In 1914, after the Archduke of Austria was shot by a Serbian in Sarajevo, Russia mobilized to defend its Serbian ally against the invading Austrian army. Thus began the Great War between the Russians, the British, and the French against the Germans, the Austrians, and the Ottomans. The Great War Russia entered the Great War to protect its ally, Serbia, from Austro-Hungarian annexation in 1914 and subsequently fought a war across three fronts while isolated from its allies in the Entente for three years. Neither the people nor the Tsar wanted war but both felt that the only alternative to the intervention was the total domination of Europe by Germany. Although the Imperial Army was far from defeated in 1916, the already existing public distrust of the autocratic regime was deepened by the mounting casualties, war debts and accusations of corruption and treasonous acts in high places. As Central Powers forces pushed east, morale lowered and unrest grew until the melting point where most of Russia was in arms against the monarchy in the 1917, beginning the February Revolution. The Revolutions Disillusioned by the grinding attrition of war and now facing near-starvation conditions in the cities, 1917 began with massive anti-government and anti-war demonstrations in many of Russia's urban centers. Morale in the army had likewise plummeted in the face of rising casualties and diminishing territory, and desertion had become an epidemic. The final spark was a strike by the workers of the Putilov factory in Petrograd, which soon rapidly escalated into demonstrations that paralyzed the capital. Tsar Nicholas II ultimately relented and abdicated the throne, but only after strong urging from his desperate generals. The February Revolution overthrew the Russian Monarchy, which was soon replaced by a shaky coalition of political parties that declared the "Provisional Government." However, with defeats at the front and economic collapse not abating, the Provisional Government's shaky legitimacy was soon seriously challenged by its "partner" in government, the Petrograd Soviet. Frequent street fighting and an (alleged) attempted coup by General Lavr Kornilov only proved to be preludes for the Bolshevik Party's eventual coup d'état in October/November. With the Soviets soon seizing control of much of Russia, anti-Bolshevik forces dispersed to regroup. The stage was set for civil war. The Russian Civil War By March 1918, the Bolsheviks controlled most of the Russian population and had pushed the Whites back to Siberia. White-controlled territory in Russia had been limited to pockets and exclaves around Siberia and Central Asia. Kolchak, Supreme Leader of the White Force had been captured and handed over to the Bolsheviks. He officially resigned and handed all control over White civil and military power in Siberia to his last general in the region– Ataman Semyonov. By February, the Ataman and his Cossack army were completely surrounded in Transbaikal, connected to Allied and Czechoslovak controlled Primorsky through Japanese controlled railways. The Siberian Intervention was the main factor for the continued survival of the White Army. The Intervention included the Japanese, the Czechoslovak Legions, the United States, Italy, the United Kingdom, and France as well as thousands of Poles and Canadians. All sides of the intervention had similar yet different goals and took very active roles in the intervention. The United States, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom had the goals of preventing war material from falling into Bolshevik hands, rescuing the Czechoslovak Legions, and resurrecting the Eastern Front. Meanwhile, the Japanese had a more imperialist intent, seeking to either expand their sphere of influence or simply gain a buffer state. Their man was Semyonov in Chita. Japan notably sent 70,000 troops to fight in Siberia, while President Theodore Roosevelt sent 30,000. After Kolchak was captured and resigned, he was subsequently executed. After losing their biggest ally, the French and British soon evacuated from Siberia entirely but Japanese support continued as Semyonov was able to negotiate with a reluctant United States for continued support. On April 6th, 1920, a non-White Far Eastern Republic was declared in Chita. The United States and Japan quickly opened dialogue with this Far Eastern Republic. Japan and the United States both insisted that Semyonov’s Transbaikal government to be included in the negotiations, but the Far Eastern Republic declined and the United States and Japan quickly closed dialogue and returned to supporting Semyonov’s Transbaikal government. Eventually, the Far Eastern Republic government was expelled from Transbaikal altogether. By 1922, the American-Japanese forces as well as the White forces would successfully control large sections of Amur, Transbaikal, Primorsky, and Primorye as the civil war grinded into a halt with extremely limited engagements on either side. Bolsheviks began returning home. On October 25th, 1922, a major communist uprising was put down by White armies and their Japanese and American allies. This was the last notable uprising in Siberia and is often considered the end of fighting in the civil war. Politics Internally, the White Government called themselves the All-Russian White Government in the Eastern Outskirts of Trans-Baikal, Amur, and Primorye. However, most countries call it the Russian White Government or simply the White Government. Most countries still do not recognize the Soviet Union and instead recognize the White Government as the White Government claims over all of Russia. However, it does not have much military strength to back up these claims. Japan and the United States would establish the “Allied Eastern Russian Commission” with Italy, the United Kingdom, and France as observers and all five powers would guarantee the White Government’s independence. Grigory Semyonov took the title Supreme Leader similar to Kolchak. However, following American promises, a legislative Duma was established with elections. However, the elections are often rigged and the Duma is weak as it is filled mostly with supporters of the white movement and similar allied conservative movements. In reality, most of the power is still held by Semyonov and White generals.Category:Countries Category:Asian countries